


The Interdimensional Prison-Men's Division

by Twilight_Shadow_Songs



Series: The Prison Drabbles AU [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Attempted Murder, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Drug Abuse, M/M, Prison, Torture, Violence, an alternate universe where all of my villains from my wips are sent to prison, posting all of this here to help be more organized, there will be mentions of rape, this is the men's division
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:34:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Shadow_Songs/pseuds/Twilight_Shadow_Songs
Summary: a prison for all of my villains from the stories I'm writing. It's a fun practice to help flesh them out a little more while they bounce off each other. this is the men's side of things. there will be warnings posted in individual chapters for what specific thing is where.
Relationships: Cale Hex/Rubio East, Hunter Demiro/Dante, Liam/Colin Ash, Various Others - Relationship
Series: The Prison Drabbles AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905916
Kudos: 3





	1. The Prison Opens

“Why does this new prison exist, again?”

“Because there’s a sudden influx of a bunch of madmen from a bunch of alternate realities and we have to take care of all of them.”

“This sounds like it’s begging for it to backfire.” 

“One of them’s an evil god of comedy.”

“Oh, then it’s beyond begging.”

“Man, you’re just lucky we aren’t in charge of the women’s section for this. They’ve got a cannibalistic cultist.”   
  


“....how is the cannibalistic cultist worse than an evil god of comedy?”

“At least with the evil god, we all die laughing.”

The man narrowed his eyes at the other next to him, before the portals opened in the yard, and the new, (ten men or closest gender to men, of varying ages heights and body types) were pushed through, lined up, and cuffed. 

Terrence, the one who’d made the (tasteless) joke, walked forward with a stack of manila folders, looking through each of them. 

“Alright, we’re lining you up from least dangerous to most. 

It was immediate which one was the god, and Bill was disconcerted to find he was third in line. Of ten. He’d seen a little of the file for Mr. Smiles. Exactly what trumped ‘attempted mass genocide of my entire universe’ as a crime. 

“Alright, as I call em, bring em into their new home away from home.” Terrence called, opening the first file. 

“First up, Cale Jamie Hex. Also known as Captain Cale Hex, also known as Captain Hook, also known as The Neverland Pirate. The man tossed back curly black hair and gave Terrence a wicked little smile. His wrists had to be specially secured on the fact on hand was, indeed, missing. Terrence ignored the smile. “Aged, twenty seven. Crimes include child endangerment, mishandling of explosives, attempting to gut an endangered animal, and illegal usage of a flying ship. Sentence; Until the effects of Neverland wear off and he can age into harmlessness.” Cale rolled his eyes. 

“Jaesus you make it sound so utterly dull. The child was Peter Pan. He brought me to that fucking island and cut off my fucking hand. I just decided a digit for a digit and systematically rip apart all of the boy’s favorite places. Piracy though, just happened to come naturally. So I guess thanks Pan, you little utter shit, for that bit.”

He was led fairly willingly into the building after he’d stated his piece. 

Next, was a cyborg man, cybernetic eye and jaw and a glower to peel paint. “Gideon Nym. Aka The Dodo Bird. Aged thirty six.” Gideon ran his hands over his half-bald head and then flipped off the guards. Behind him, the god laughed. Terrence continued undeterred. “Gideon is a drug trafficker in the Berue Star System. Ran an entire planet and caused gladiator style fights for his amusement. Twelve counts of domestic assault. Slave trafficker as well, possibly, and..” Terrence checked his notes. “Kept getting arrested for DUI’s that never stuck till now.”

“And they shouldn’t’ve stuck. If it weren’t for that idiot of a man-”

“The man being your lover Felidae. Yes, he’d be why you have domestic assault on your records, Mr. Nym.” Nym was pulled-unwillingly-into the prison. The god-or well, more accurately some nameless nightmare, was some monster with too many teeth in too wide a smile and a hyena type mane and scabbed over eyes stepped over of his own accord, flashing a peace sign. He had the body of a-maybe-late teens early twenties man. Just all the joints bent in slightly off places.

“Mr. Smiles. God of Comedy. Age unknown but sources say you predate your universe. There’s a bit of a list of smaller crimes but I’m going to just use the massive blanket one of ‘attempted multiple mass genocides at once with the destruction and death of your own universe’ and leave it at that. And as you put it, ‘criminal mischief because, and I quote, “sometimes comedy needs a bit of blood to be funny” that right?” 

“How utterly boring of you not to think that’s funny.” Mr. Smiles giggled. Liam behind him rolled his one good eye.

“Did you fail all your goals because the irony outweighed the satisfaction of winning?”

“You make that sound like a bad thing, Liam dear.”

“Nah, I’m just wondering how a little bitch of a drama queen like you is only at number three and the literal fairy tale prince in the back out matched you in crimes.” Liam didn’t flinch when the god swung around to (presumably) glare at him. “Outmatched in crimes baby. Not sheer ugly. Don’t worry, you’re still number one in that fuckin department.”

Mr. Smiles snapped his oversized teeth at him, and Liam only blinked. "Though I stopped wondering how I outmatch you too, darlin. You're fuckin useless."

“Alright alright ladies, break it up. Smiles, into the prison, come on.”

“I’m going to rip you a new smile, you one eyed mess of wrinkles!” Mr. Smiles called over to Liam as he was dragged in. 

“Love to see you try bitch.”

Bill could already tell most of the shit that was going to happen would be between these two in this first wave of villains. An ageless being and an almost 70 year old man. Surreal. Next wasn’t even Liam, it was a man with few features and wet hair. Handsome in a drowned way.

“Kit. True name unavailable at this point. Technically your sentence is still in the air, if death penalty though it’ll be through your own name.” Kit shrugged. “Your crimes include torture, murder, and sexual grooming.” A smaller shrug. “Like Dodo you were turned in by your victim.”

Kit’s eyes looked Terrence up and down, sneered at him, and walked into the building on his own. Next was the old man.

“Liam, of about forty last names, AKA The Executioner, aged 64, crimes including genocide, serial killings of fellow humans, alleged illegal substance abuse, alleged regicide, grand theft auto, two instances of kidnapping, breaking and entering, and sixteen cases of petty assault. Did I get them all?”

“All the ones on the file, yea.” Liam said with a shrug as he scratched his cheek. “Look I’m only here because I agreed to a Fae deal and got fucked.”

“You didn’t reform though. Thirty three years and not once have you felt guilt.”

Liam rolled his one good eye. “Yea. Sure. Wasn’t expecting the colorful group of fuckers though. What the  _ fuck _ is behind me?”

“Your cellmate. Rubio East. Mind reader, and alleged cannibal of the godly kind.” Liam raised a hand. 

“Why is he MY cellmate?”

“Because he’d eat Smiles, Smiles hates you, and you’re creative with self defense. In the building, both of you.”

Rubio grinned cheekily and jaunted past Liam. “No worries friend, you’re too gamy for my tastes.”

“Fuck you you mother fucking can of piss.”

Bill gave Liam six months maximum before he ended up in the infirmary from the others collectively trying to kill him.

“By the way, Liam, Rubio is twenty-seven. Have fun.”

The angry expletive was cut off and a prisoner actively trying to get out of his bonds was dragged forward. 

“Gabriel. AKA Riel. AKA Shadow. You’re only here until your past self ages past this point and you fade from existence. I don’t even know what to do with you. Your brilliant idea was exert revenge on yourself for letting your best friend die-by going back in time to kill your best friend, your brother and your son. How do you function.”

“I was framed, I was framed!”

“You were absolutely not framed.”

“There’s alternate realities please-”

“You, Riel, come from an alternate reality, I know. We all know. Sixteen year old current Gabriel is getting therapy-with his still breathing best friend. There will be no dead Thomases this time around.”

The scared face morphed into one far more deranged. “We all deserve madness.”

“Lovely” Terrence uttered dryly, and waved the still struggling troll-aged 42-to the prison.

Eight was also marched over against his will. Pale, with eyes an electric green and a sneering mouth. “You can’t hold me.” spat the Silver Hare, exiled Prince of the Silver Court.

“We can, your majesty. Given your son and acting Prince turned you in. Let’s see...Two hundred eighty four counts of murder, torture, attempted murder, child abuse, black magic, unlawful usage of ancient weapons by the laws of your own people, four counts of, by the laws of your people, grievous acts of bad manners, and petty theft. Your son and current Prince said not to let you out till every Wales in every reality crumbled into the sea. You’re gonna be here quite a time.”

“He deserves death.”   
  
“And so do you, by all counts. Do try not to have a pissing match with Smiles while you two bunk together.”

The Prince spat on Terrence’s shoes before he strode regally into the prison, escorted by two guards with good grips on his arms.

“And hello Colin. Also known as Ashlad or Ashy Socks, and commonly referred to as ‘Glass King’ or ‘That one disgraced Cinderella’ how’s the forced silence treating you?” Colin turned tired eyes to them, but gave a thumbs up. He was number nine in the line up, and the only one with guns trained on him. Bill had to wonder why. 

“Colin, aged fifty seven, blessed by a fairy godmother in order to best his step brothers in a battle of wits for the hand of a princess-your only true relationship and current wife, yes?” Colin nodded. “You have an ability to accurately mimic voices after hearing them once?” A nod. “Drove countless people to madness with this gift?” Colin shrugged “And began playing an entire city of magic against itself in order to destroy magic, cause an extinction level event and usher in a vacuum of power for the apocalypse?” A nod. “How many deaths would you say you caused?” Colin smiled. “Very good. You’re with Dodo. No talking then. Also, you may notice your face is pretty again. Your fairy godmother did this, as an added punishment. Anything that could disfigure you will heal back to pristine. Have fun.”

Bill looked uneasily at the last one as Colin was carted off. “What’s worse than the others? Also, why does Colin trump the others but not this one?”

“Colin won against his hero, who themselves is currently in recovery from a mental break down. So did this one. Win I mean. All of his heroes are dead as is his universe and four others.”

“Mother fucker…”

“Good morning Rift.”   
  


“Mornin.”

“You know what you did?”

“I’d do it again.”

  
  
“We’re aware, it’s why you’re here.”

Rift smiled. “Aye. Good plan. I could use a vacation.”

Bill breathed out when Rift was gone. The man was slimy, creepy. Interesting and magnetic too, but mostly the first two.  


“Terrence, we’re dead.”

  
  


“The other guards have a betting pool on everyone to see who dies by who. Guards included."

“Ah, fuck.”


	2. Stop the Screaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> four more prisoners are brought in after two months. Hare just wants the screaming to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of lethal force, and immortality, mortal wounds but no death. life threatening situations for Hare.

“So, Rabbit boy.”

Hare glared tiredly at Liam sitting down across from him. “What, king killer.”

“Yea I was gonna ask if you’d gotten sleep either but apparently you didn’t.”

“Whoever’s in the end cells won’t stop screaming.” Hare groaned, head thumping to his arms propped on the table. His animosity with Liam forgotten for the time being because although Liam was his enemy, he was way too tired to do anything but agree. 

“My cellmate’s in the infirmary. Cuz you know, mind-reading. Which yay. Time to myself but also fuck cuz what the fuck is in the end cells.”

“I’m not looking for you.”   
  
“Wasn’t asking you to do it.” Hare raised his head, interest peaked. 

“Oh?”

“Wanna get rid of your cellmate?”

“Smiles? Not particularly. He’s odd but I have nothing against him.” 

“Don’t mean forever. That particular mother fucker I’ve given up on doing in. Just a couple days.”

“...Why…?”

Liam just smiled. “Wanna see how strong this screamer is. Let’s pit it against the resident god.”

Smiles refused to help unless they brought along Kit. 

Which in retrospect was a perfect idea. 

Train Hopper up close was terrifying. He also had his own cellmate, who looked half dead where he slept on the cot. 

The guards pushed them back, but Hare stood his ground. 

“Who are they?”

“Train Hopper, also known as Vagrant. Went on a magical train with the sole intent of killing everyone inside. And then the former rock star, Hunter.” 

“Hunter looks half dead.” Liam said, calmly. “Why’s he in with Vagrant.”

“Same powers, similar goal but with a rehab center for superhumans. Now back off or we’re ‘escorting’ all of you to your cells.”

Later Smiles tapped his chin in their cell. “There’s more than those two.”   
  
The screaming echoed through their cell and set Hare’s teeth on edge. 

“With the power or in general?”

“In general. I’m not entirely certain they can house too many more reality altering creatures like that.”

“Reality altering?”

“Mm, mhm. My sister met one once. Told me she never wanted to deal with demons again.”

“...lovely.” 

“At least we found out nobody’s allowed to die in here.” Hare grunted and turned over to curl into himself on the cot. By ‘we’ Smiles meant he’d slammed Liam’s head hard enough into a table to crush the skull and the old man had been walking around mutilated for fifteen minutes before they could get him to the infirmary.

“There’s worse things than death.”   
  
“Oh of course there are. But at least if he wants us dead, he won’t be satisfied.” A soft little giggle. “I vote we offer Cale as bait.”

“...good night Smiles.”

Palms over ears never helped but he’d deal with it. 

When Hare went to the yard the next day, he saw Colin, as usual, lounging by the wall. Eyes closed this time, however. The ‘boy next door’ features far more drawn and strained. Hare walked over.

“Sleeping with your cellmate or suffering through the noise?”

Colin cracked open one eye and glared. He took a pencil and a notebook and wrote 

‘I’d rather eat my own tongue than sleep with anyone here.’ 

Hare shrugged. 

“I never know. People get lonely in prison, I’ve heard. And your darling go-to’s aren’t here.”

Colin shot him a disgusted look. Hare rolled his eyes. 

“Help me make the screamers stop screaming. The guards are absolutely no help.”

‘What do I get for it?’ the next note said. Hare curled his lip. 

“Why?”

‘I have a fairy godmother, I know how deals work. If I help, what do I get?’

“The fish will leave you alone, alright? I’ll convince him to back off.”

It was considered before Colin held out his hand to shake with a small nod.

‘Tonight, then.’

They met four other prisoners besides Vagrant and Hunter, because finally Vagrant stopped screaming when Hare snarled at him to shut up for the love of mercy and Hunter moved from his cot as Colin moved forward. 

“Mother Flip. So there are other people here. Thought it was a hallucination.” The red-head had muttered, and Colin offered food he’d managed to sneak from dinner. Hare tilted his head at them, and then the other four had spoken up.

“What the fuck was the howling, god, I thought I’d never be happy again…”

“Who are you two, roots for ears and the boy next door?”

“I’m...Silver Hare. He’s Colin. We’re also inmates. And we wanted to sleep for once. It’s been weeks and we can hear him from our wing.”

“Let the pretty boy talk for himself.”

“Pretty boy can’t talk. Or I’d have let him.”

“Huh.”

“So who are all of you, and why haven’t any of you been allowed out?”

“Alright, so I’m Theodore Evans. Got bored, answered an ad in a paper, became a supervillain as you do, my best friend who’s actually supposed to be here himself managed to possess me, you know, normal shit. So sometimes Jude takes control which is a problem but nobody knows how to fix it so I’m here. But Jude’s tried to kill the guards four times so this might be why we haven’t been let out.” Came from one cell.

“Jude’s tried to kill me every night so lucky guards for it only being four times.” also from the same cell. “I’m Dante. I...kinda sorta killed the children of the sun and moon. On purpose. Because they were in my way. I’m just gonna say the Sun and Moon are petty as fuck.”

Across from them was a loud sigh. “I’m Laladae. I had a human zoo and regularly tortured the inhabitants. Forced one to turn into a were-rabbit. Named him Pet.” Hare liked this person. 

“And I’m Vince. From a...does anyone know what ‘magical girl’ is?”

Theodore burst into laughter. “Oh my god...oh sweet kernels….you...you wave a wand and become some pixie with annoying pep talks?”

“Who me? No...I just brutally murdered an entire school’s worth of them and then used the lone survivor as a puppet for my own amusement for fifteen years. Not as anything sexual. I just loved torturing him…” Hare also liked Vince. 

“Tried to do that with someone.” He supplied. “But the asshole wouldn’t be swayed so I cut off his hands and turned him into a cursed skeleton.”

“Oh man, I like your style” Vince called out. A pause. “Why aren't the guards coming?”

Colin pointed at Vagrant and Hunter. Hare got uneasy. “What do you mean, those two?”

He found out when Vagrant’s arm went through the bars and crushed him against the wall. Soot and black goo crawling over his neck and shoulders and jawline. 

İ̶̝̎̇̈́̏͝ ̷͎̓͑̉̀ţ̴̺̭̦̃h̶̲̩̰͔͛̍̈́i̶̘͈̞̠̬̅͜͝n̸̮͕̫͋k̵̛̺̣̯̙͉͘ ̴̘̣̬̻̾̈́̓̽̓̅̚Ì̸̬͎̽'̷̱̗̱͌͑̊͋̿͜͝m̵̨̼̮̩̰̈́̀͝ͅͅ ̵͈̺͒̈́̄͛̂̈́͌b̴͈͍̗̺̫̳̈́̋̒̄̉ơ̶̝͌̈́̅͊r̸̛̮͔̼̲̝͂͆͋̏̈́ȅ̵̱̤̣d̵͎͔̫͕̠̝̰̑̿̊̚.̶̻̻̼̝͝ ̴̢̱͓̟̩̱̩͒̚Ḯ̵͉̉̒̕ ̴̧̯̯̟̣͔͉̉̍w̵̩̦̙̮͙̦̌͒̎a̷͚͚͈̳̮̜͋̊̎̌̎̒̋ǹ̸̨̳̣̳̪͙͔t̷̺͚̋͒͗̓ ̸̦̥͚̖͉͖̽̈͊͑͐̊͠t̶̡̙̎̇͠ọ̵͔̈́͛̎̚͘͝ ̴̨̪͙̤̹̺͔͋͐͒̓̔̍̚w̶̨͚̲̩̓̊a̴̗̰̹͛̿́t̵̯͓̳͛c̴̻͌͊h̶͕̍͐͊͒̅̓ ̵̛̝̖̼͕͌̽y̶̨̜̮̏̈́ỡ̸̡̼͈̪̥̪̱̔̚̚u̴͎̫͔̜͉̜̇̎̈́̍ ̸̫̘͗̉̊̑̾d̵̟͖̏̀̚i̶̡̡̞̣͇̚ĕ̶̢̟̖̗͗͆͑̏̕ ̸̘͇̲́́̍n̵͇͓͇͔͓̺̻̑ỏ̶͙w̸̡̰̼̻̙̜̗,̴̡̛̟̽̑͛̂̆ ̷̗̘͕͚͋F̶̠͔͇̉͛̐̋͊ã̵̤̮̄͑ě̴̹͚̺̆̽̓͝͝ͅ.̵̮̬͗̎"̴̜̝͈̉̅͝

Hare shuddered at the sound before laughing, choked out as it was. “You ca-An’t here. N-no de-ATH allowed.” he managed as the arm pulsed against him. “We-E-e’ve alread-dy try-TRied…”

Silence and then the arm retracted. Hare dropped to his knees, silver hair falling around his face. He coughed out some of the goo that had edged into his mouth before looking around. “Will you be quiet, then?” 

“f̸̰̘̆̕ŏ̵̧͔̦̪̹̈́͘͝r̴̠̖͇̈́͘ ̵̖̳̮͓̭̤̫̿n̴͎̾́o̴͔͔̝̽̍͜w̵̬͛̓͠,̴̢̻͇͆͂̾̍ ̸̧̖͕̏n̸̼̔o̵̠̣̗̰̳͓͖͂͂͝ ̵̢̛̓̈́͋̊ŗ̴͍́͌e̵͎̲͚̤̭̋ȧ̸̳̞̈́̄̈̌͆̔ș̵͎̓̇̇̆̆o̷̠̩̠̓̏͛͒͆̕n̵̢̻̜͎̹̍͆͘ͅ ̷͔̪͒ñ̵̨̛̂͠o̶̢͔̦̗̅̀͐͜ẗ̸̮̱̟͔͓̊̉͝ ̷͖̥̹̰̋̌͌̉͛̽ͅͅt̸̻̦̤̜͊̽͜ͅo̷͔͎̝͒̔́̿̓͑̋ ̴̠͔̲̘͖͒̌̆b̸̧̘̮̣̖̪̽͘e̶͙̣̮̣̾̀̋͛̃̄͝” 

Hare nodded, tired. “Good.” 

He and Colin didn’t make it back to their cells though, before they were found by the guards and punished for not making roll call. The broken jaw however, was worth the night of silence. And the rest of the nights with no screaming. 

Colin had had his hands broken but at least they did have a mind reader in their midst, who managed to get the reason for the silence out, and explain why he’d been in the infirmary. 

“Don’t like Hunter’s thoughts much.”

Was all he’d say as to what drove him to concussing himself into a coma.

Later, Hare wrapped an arm around Colin’s waist, and Kit, who’d been sidling to the Cinderella spat at Hare before walking away. Hare held him closer when Colin tried to squirm away. “You wanted the fish to leave you alone. That was the deal.” He hissed in Colin’s ear. “The fish is scared of me and Liam and Dodo respect you. An alliance with you is better than nothing.”

Colin grimaced, and sighed. A small nod of agreement, but Colin held up a finger. ‘For Now’ he mouthed. Hare smiled back, silent. 


	3. Rubio and Cale become allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cale and Rubio team up, and Cale gives Colin advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> overexposure torture, fighting, mind reading, mentions of abuse

“Somehow I expected a fight between Colin and Hunter to happen way sooner,” Cale commented to Rubio, the only one who generally talked to him without threatening him, as they backed away from the red haired man and the blond punching the living shit out of each other. They retreated to a corner of the yard to watch, however.

“Hunter is too impulsive and wanted to play alpha smackdown this is true, but Colin’s dealt with stuff like this before. Survivor, you know. He was the puppet master of an entire city for a very good reason. Right now though he’s going to try and break Hunter’s nose, or let Hunter break his nose and show off the healing factor curse. I think the lack of a voice is throwing him.”

Cale glanced sideways at Rubio. “Who’d you say, given you can hear their battle plans, is gonna win? I would love to try and get something out of Hare over the chances of his tool getting put in solitary.”

“I think it’d be a tie.”

“Oh?”

Rubio only folded his arms and grit his teeth. Meanwhile, Colin got up from where Hunter had knocked down, the guards starting to try to get between them. 

“I’M nOttT a-AA-a ToYyYyYYyy!” Ripped out of Colin’s mouth, going from gutteral bark to a wrecked high pitched scream and back with each word. Hunter rocked back as the other coughed blood onto the floor as he stormed over, and slammed a fist into the stomach so hard Hunter flew a few feet. Though he stayed standing. 

Cale rubbed his stomach in solidarity. Before looking over at Rubio, whose face was turned away and down in a snarling grimace. “What the fuck. This place is going to be split in two and it’s going to either follow Hunter or protect Colin.”

“No. Most of the group is reeling but I feel they may band with Hunter against Colin. Me, I’ll be on whatever side Smiles isn’t.” He licked his lips as his eyes lingered on the cackling creature. “You taste god flesh and you never go back, man.”

“...I’ll take your word for it…” He watched both Hunter and Colin being subdued and taken away. “I feel a bit of a kindred soul in Colin with the fairytale thing. Didn’t want to be a Hook in the beginning, doubt he wanted to be...whatever led to this.” he ran his one hand over his stump with a grimace. “Where does the old man land on the idea? He’s a Colin or a Hunter?” Rubio looked at him fully.

“Who, my cellmate? Neither. He hates them both. But he’ll side with whatever side Rift is on. He’s not stupid.”

“Rift actually gonna let someone else be the leader?” this kind of surprised Cale, who saw the apparent reality serial killer as a definite leader sort. 

“Whoever he follows should be very careful how they proceed.” Ah. Course. Mind games. Cale regarded Rubio for a few moments before putting his hand in his prison suit pockets and smiling at him. 

“What about Dodo? If he’s not interested in following his cell-”

“Dodo doesn’t care. And neither of them are going to fuck you.”

Cale scowled. “Okay you know what. Go fuck yourself. Or go fuck Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde over yonder.” Jude had been trying to get Rubio cornered for a few weeks, not that Theodore was particularly against ‘neutralizing’ the currently only mind reader. 

“I can’t turn the mind reading off, Cale. And I don’t care enough to not call you out.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I wouldn’t have either.” 

“Yes you would. It’s why you’re the least dangerous man in this fucking hell hole.”

“Okay-”

“You should weaponize it.”

Cale’s rebuttal vanished and he stared at the other. “What?”   
  
“Hm? What? Did you need something?” But despite the words Rubio gave him a wicked and knowing little smile before sauntering away, slowly making his way to the prison entrance. 

It certainly gave Cale something to consider at the very least. 

It turned out Colin and Hunter weren’t put in solitary, but an ‘over-exposure’ treatment. Anyone could walk past what amounted to cages and observe the prisoners at any time, doing anything. There was no hiding. Cale memorized when the guards did their shifts and approached Colin’s enclosure. 

“Hey. Colin.” 

The man was laying face down on the floor, had been since this morning. He didn’t look at Cale, didn’t move.

“You should learn how to sign.” Cale continued as he sat down in front of the cage and to his credit Colin looked up at him. Cale rested his amputated arm on a knee so the fact there was a missing hand was in plain view. “Believe me I know what it’s like to lose something you view as important. It’s not an excuse to shut down, and I think you know that as well as I do.”

Colin sat up slowly and gestured for Cale to continue. Cale took a breath.

“I’m a pirate and I miss my crew. I don’t like any of you fucks beyond a passing sexual interest. But here’s the thing. I like Hunter less than I like you in terms of trust. Maybe cuz you’re like me and the first ten. I don’t fucking know. He’s got Vagrant backing him, and the others are most likely considering it after your lovely display in the yard.”

Colin scowled. Cale held up his hand. “I’m going to play both sides. But for fuck’s sake I don’t want to see you end up as a chewtoy in this pack of wolves. Adapt. Get people on your side. You’re the second baddest fuck in the first group, show them why. Or let Hunter do every one of his threats. I don’t fucking care. I’m the lowest on the food chain anyway. Whether or not you adapt doesn’t really do anything to me. I just figured you’d rather not be at Hunter’s mercy.”

When he left, Rubio was waiting. “Not exactly what I was thinking.”

“Please.” Cale rolled his eyes. “I already told you. I feel a solidarity with the fairytales. Have an offer for you, though.”

“I see that but I don’t know the full context. Pirates don’t exist in my reality, so ‘matelot’ is an unknown.”

Cale waved his hand “It’s like marriage but with a crewmate you care for. I dunno. I got introduced to it by the crew waiting for me on Neverland, but I think it’d be suited just as well here. And I think you know it’s beyond your powers. You talk to me willingly, for one.” 

“I am the worst candidate for that, Cale.” Cale scowled and rolled his eyes. 

“If I have better options give me the list because otherwise you’re my  _ only _ candidate.”

“...Huh.” 

“That a yes?”

“Currently not a no.”

Cale half smiled. “Nice. C’mon. Before they realize we’re not in the cafeteria for...what’re we eating?”

“You want what the menu calls it or what it actually is?”

“...ah. Well. I think I’d like to not know what’s going in my stomach.”   
  


“Okay. lying it is. Chicken pot pies.”

“I swear if the cook gets put in with us for serial killing I’m making sure he’s going on the menu.” Rubio laughed. 

Colin and Hunter teamed together, and Hare somehow got his back broken. It wasn’t what Cale was expecting, but then again, he doubted this would last much longer than whatever Colin was planning. He however, had made his niche, and his point. He was also personally quite happy with his choice of ally. 


	4. The New Warden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new warden and oh, Liam is not a fan. He also gets to see one of his grandkids. It brings up some old wounds he thought were healed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of possession (Liam is talking to Jude), mind control, trauma, ptsd

Liam had about had it up to here with all the kiddos younger than him trying to be top of the dog pile. He stayed out of their factions simply because he didn’t see any of them as strong enough to keep their positions on top, and generally he was right. They were still figuring out the pecking order and he felt less like staking a claim and more like watching where the chips fell when everything was more established. 

The main two he watched were the twenty somethings. The two youngest in the prison and they’d joined together, surviving and not doing too much to rock the boat. However, while Rubio could read minds, Liam took his time to learn people so he could read their behaviors. It was how he’d gotten good at murder, after all. 

Rubio genuinely liked Cale it seemed, and Cale, Liam had noticed, was actually rising to the challenge of being in the prison. Liam had wondered if the man was only the least dangerous because Neverland was generally small potatoes and he’d just needed a better opportunity. Obviously the assumption was correct. 

“Good morning, Liam.”

“Mornin Jude. Sit yer ass down b’fore people who care about that notice you hijacked the body again.”

“...How can you always tell?”

“Look I dunno what the fuck made you wanna shuffle or hunch, but I will say Theodore is always straight backed and more of a loping walk. You don’t do that.”

“Oh you’re clever then.”

Liam looked the man up and down before sipping his (awful, just godawful) coffee. Let Jude know he couldn’t care less about his opinion.

“Nah. I’m perceptive. I’m a killer. The thing is, you learn your marks like you’d learn a lover or friend. When are they happy, or sad, how do you tell? It differs person to person. But the thing is, the better you know, the better you can get them in a place to kill.”

“So you exploit people’s specific tells to find out how to kill them.”

“Sorta. What do you wanna talk to me for, though. I already told all of y’all. I ain’t gonna help any of you fuckers.” Liam sipped his coffee again as he watched Jude. Jude just shrugged, though his jaw worked and Liam knew there was something he wanted. Finally, Jude settled on some words.

“You know that you’ve been feeding your observations to your cellmate.”

Liam snorted and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Ohhh, you’re worried about Rubio using that to gain power. No worries, I think he’s occupied right now. Also I have this weird feeling he’ll only act if it’s against Smiles, or if it’s something that benefits him and Cale.”

Jude tilted his head. “He and Cale?”

“...You and Theodore didn’t notice them last night at dinner? For shame. And you two are supervillains. I thought you two’d have everyone pegged down, all your little duckies in a row.” He set his coffee down and gave a little smile. “It was almost domestic. Very cute. I just love young love, don’t you?” He looked down the table at where they were that morning, talking. Jude followed his glance.

“Rubio’s good at hiding it, but I think Cale following him around and talking to him is flattering to him and he likes the attention. Cale’s just happy for someone to talk to who isn’t constantly trying anything. I’m just happy I’m not the one with mind reading abilities given Rubio’s my cellmate.”

“I could use this.”

“Look I don’t know how powerful Rubio’s powers are, but I’ll bet he’ll figure out I talked to you mkay. So any ideas to neutralize them is moot. For right now they’re simply not taking sides, like me. So if I were you, I’d focus less on the pirate and god-eating mind reader, and focus more on say one of the people who wants both of you under their bootheel.”

  
  


“And who do you suggest avoiding, then?”   
  
Liam held up a cautionary finger. “I can’t read minds, just body language. I might be misreading shit. But I’d definitely keep an eye on Dodo, Dante, and Kit.”

“If you’re right, that’s useful to me.”   
  
“No  _ shit _ Captain Obvious.” Liam got up, intending to head to the library. “Stay frosty Jude. Be careful about playing today, and let Theodore out in a bit. If I got the lowdown right, that’s his body and like. Sharing. You’ve been joyriding for a week.”

“Have fun then, Liam. Watch your blindside.”

“Hardy fuckin har.”

He was stopped by a guard. “We’ve been looking for you, you have a visitor.”

He narrowed his eye and felt himself tense up.

“...Seriously?”

“It’s very last minute but yes. Please come with me.”

In the room at a lone table, was his grandson. Looking nervous and miserable. 

“Sebbie what the fuck. Why are you here.”   
  


He asked the kid as he sat down. After everything he’d been fairly sure Nico and Mika had cut him out of their lives, which was fine. Sebastian, Alf and Edie didn’t need him and he didn’t really care about them in a paternal sense and yet here Sebastian was.

“Dad didn’t want me to come.” Yea, He’d bet Nico was against this. “But...I figured somebody needed to see how you were.”

Liam sat there, dumbfounded. He began getting up.

“...Kid, cute as that is, I don’t need you checkin on me. However you got here use it to go home.”

“I found some of grandma’s stuff in the fortress.”

Liam sat down again. “No offense, but you should let yer dad an uncle have it. She was their mum.”

“I just wanted to give you this.” An old polaroid was slid across the table and Liam didn’t even have to look at it to know what it was. He was younger, looking like a stereotypical greaser, and she’d been wearing a dress with sunflower print. She was holding a teddy bear he won in a carnival game. Just thinking about it he could smell the food, hear the ‘say cheese’ of the grinning mother of two tweens they’d handed the camera too. 

“...So she did keep it. Th’ state fair picture. Fuck. Always thought she was teasin…”

He felt a soft sort of grief. Old and worn out like a favorite blanket. His fingers traced over her face as he remembered that day, her laughter, her perfume. Things had been simpler, then. Well...not so much simple as he hadn’t been nearly so angry. 

“They wanted to burn it, but I thought...you’d appreciate it here.” Liam took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Thanks Seb. ‘Preciate it.”

He let himself be a little softer with Seb, and talked to his grandson for the full thirty minutes he’d been allowed, mentioning how nasty the food was, the oddities of being in a prison with a bunch of people from alternate realities, the minor concern that he may have put himself on an enemy list of his cellmate given he’d mentioned the man’s relationship to someone who didn’t know, the fact everyone was effectively deathless so they couldn’t escape their sentences, and Sebastian talked about school and Edie being her usual break skulls talk later self, and Mika’s boyfriend. 

Eventually he had to go, but he felt better. “Thanks, kid, for bringin her back t’me.” Sebastian smiled. 

“No problem Liam. I-sorry you’re in here.”

Liam only shrugged before he was led out. He’d put the polaroid in his shirt pocket, feeling as though he’d been given gold. 

Hunter and Dante were loitering outside of the previously unused visitor area. Liam just looked at them. “What you two want?”   
  
“Who came?”

“...M’ grandson. One of em at any rate.”

Hunter looked at one of the guards, Bill. “Has this always been available?”

“Hm? No, actually. But also before you ask, Harper declined invitation. Sorry.” Hunter’s face fell for a moment before it hardened and he stormed away. “Dante, yer mum and brothers also refuse right now. But maybe holidays. Creed said maybe.”

Dante nodded, and moved to catch up to Hunter.

Liam grit his teeth as he walked with Bill. “I enjoyed th meetin but my grandson just painted a target on my back, didn’ he?”

“Not exactly. I mean. Hunter yea but Dante is a bit more calm. This is a new thing though, courtesy of the new Warden.” 

“Nobody can kick it though, what happened to Terrence? He seemed decent enough.”

“Had a meeting with Smiles. Not sure what happened between them.”

In that case Terrence leaving made more than a slight bit of sense. 

“...Mn yea, funny fuck would certainly make anyone with sense pack their bags.”

“There will also be a therapist brought in, if the new warden can convince anyone to come in.” 

Liam snorted as Bill settled into silence and they finished getting to his cell. 

“You know the name of our new lord and master?”

“Doesn’t matter, you’ll meet him tomorrow.”

When he entered the cell, Rubio was gingerly pressing fingers to a black eye. Liam blinked.

“Who hit ya?” 

“Vince. Apparently I sat in the wrong place.” Rubio looked over at Liam, hands settling in his lap to twist at his fingers.

“A new Warden?” Rubio asked, interested.

Liam sat down on his cot and shrugged. “Yea...guess so. You didn’t know?” Rubio hesitated, and shook his head. 

“Funny enough there hasn’t been much buzzing about this in the guards’ heads, so it must be last minute. Or there’s something interfering with me being able to eavesdrop on their constant mental commentaries in a way I can’t notice.”

Liam was silent for a while, considering it and finally just laid down, though still open to talk to the other man. 

“It wasn’t Cale.”

“Wasn’t gonna bother askin.”

“No, but I don’t want to listen to that concern for the next several days. While I know he’d hurt me-and I’d hurt him, this isn’t really the best place to foster all consuming love-right now, not a concern.”

Liam rolled his eye. “Fine.” He put a hand to his missing eye, wincing. The talk with his grandson had triggered some old wounds and phantom pains.

“I do know what happened to your sister. In case you really want revenge for your eye.”

“...Seriously?” He looked over. “Where’s the bitch?”

“There’s a woman’s variant of this prison.” Rubio paused. “She seriously ate two of her own children?”

“She was high. But yea. Then regularly just ate people who ticked her off. Though it says something this is less a horrible thing and more a...minor character tick in the society we were raised in.”

“Might have liked it, your society.”   
  
“You’re definitely one of the ones she would have snacked on.” Liam told him, bluntly. “Magic and abilities and mind reading piss her off.” He paused. “Why ain’t we out and about in the yard?”

“I was punched in the face and you talked to your grandson. You’re not stupid Liam, do the math. I know you can.”

“Don’t talk down to me ya little shit.” But he knew what Rubio meant. People wanted to seriously maim both of them as of right now. 

“Might as well sleep, then. Everything considered. Got a bad feeling about this warden.” 

“I noticed. What makes you think he’ll be bad?”

“I put myself in a high security prison once, to get a man who’d tried to escape me. As a guard but same basic idea. The problem with some of these wardens, is the basic amenities are met, but as a smoke screen. If you didn’t know about him, I don’t trust what’s goin on.”

“Huh. Not like the movies.”   
  
“...You have prison movies but not pirates.”

“We don’t have an ocean or sky travel system but we do have cowboys. The more I learn the more I realize they’re like that. And just as gay.”

“Glad to know cowboys and the homoerotic overtones are evidentally the same in every universe.” Rubio laughed a little. 

Well, Liam realized the next morning as he was brought out to meet the new warden, he’d been half right. Mr. Squeaky Clean seemed nice enough, but somehow Liam could just feel how little he liked any of them. They had roll call, the man introduced himself as Dominic Smith, and tersely explained there would be a behavior system put in place.

Good behavior gave them things they valued, bad behavior those things would be taken, and if continued bad behavior they’d be outright destroyed. Letters and correspondence were going to be allowed but again, the letters would only be given to them if they behaved. 

“Fuck you, we ain’t children and we ain’t pups!” Dodo burst out, and Colin moved away from him as Smith turned his attention on the cyborg. 

“While you’re in here with me, Mr. Nym, wasn’t it, you’re whatever I tell you you are. Useless degenerates, children, the shit on my shoe. But I also want all of you somewhat not maddened. So. You can still have your little power struggles, your relationships,” He glanced over at Rubio, who was next to Liam. “Or anything else. But when I tell you “jump”, you ask “how high Warden.” And when I tell you you’ve been punished you shut your mouth and you take it with a nod and a silent ‘thank you Warden’ am I clear?” 

“Clear as fuckin mud Mr. Jackass, sir.” Cale called, probably noticing Smith wouldn’t stop staring at Rubio. 

“Don’t be a smartass, Cale. It’s unbecoming.” Smith said. Beside Liam, Rubio flinched. It was minute, barely noticeable, but...Liam noticed. He hoped this Dominic Smith hadn’t. 

“Would you rather I’d call you Warden Stick Up His Ass?” Cale shot back, incensed. “Cuz I can totally do that. You know, for accuracies sake. ” 

Rubio sucked in a breath. Liam grit his teeth. “Cale shut up.” Liam barked. “You wanna get hurt? Cuz everyone here could get fuckin hurt if you an Dodo don’t shut the fuck up.”

The man swung around and oh, Liam didn’t like his eyes. A pale, sick pink color. He was frozen by the look. Liam had never been afraid of any monster, but suddenly, he was very afraid of Dominic. 

“If they want to be punished, let them, hm?”

The smell of fried food and violet perfume and oh- _ oh _ chestnut hair brushing his arm.

Blood, screaming-wait-

He didn’t realize he was on his knees till he was being helped up by Hare. “You don’t like me.” Liam muttered in a flat question as he wiped his face, surprised the old shock and hurt had come back with such a massive vengeance. 

“I don’t like you but I’d rather you than…” His eyes flicked down the hall where the warden had gone. “That.”

Liam tried to calm his racing heart. “Tell me about it.”

Well, at least the ‘where’s the definitive leader’ question had been answered. The power vacuum was filled. Everyone would fall in line accordingly. He moved away from Hare. “I have a gut feelin that fucker should be an inmate too.” He grit his teeth. “And so far, gut hasn’t been wrong.”

Mr. Squeaky Clean, if allowed, was going to make their lives worse than living hells. Liam decided to watch him, and see how he ticked. If Rubio couldn’t get thoughts about him from the guards, well, Liam was going to help. 


	5. Clever Rubio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rubio meets with his old friend/the hero of his story Laure, and they talk about Cale. It's been seven months since Rubio was put in prison. Rubio starts a riot to get Dominic to stop hurting Cale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of trauma and using trauma to break someone, mentions of starting fights, mentions of experimentation on humans, mentions of cannibalism

There was a reason, Rubio ruminated, why he’d preferred living in the deep forests that apparently took the place of oceans in most of these other realities. Not that many people to pick up on their thoughts.

At least most of them weren’t cohesive linear. People were either ‘narrate in my head and construct movies and have full sentences and worries bouncing around’ or ‘my mind is mostly running thoughts through image, color and association and thus my mind is a game of pictionary’ 

Cale was a pictionary mind, though most of his thoughts translated to strong emotions that somehow turned into a language Rubio could understand almost perfectly. Liam was a verbal mind, and Rubio was rather amused his personal narration sounded like a hardboiled detective story. 

Liam approached everything as though he was solving a mystery, Cale approached everything as something to react to. He got people to do things simply by forcing emotions on them. Liam played mind games. 

Theodore’s body, having Theodore and Jude, was odd in that while they acted like one or the other controlled it, they both controlled aspects of the body, playing a constant game called ‘vigilance’ to see who got to speak and make the big decisions and control most of the body. They were constantly arguing about how Jude had managed to get stuck in Theodore’s mind as well, and so far it might have been either an electrocution while Jude was fucking around with one of Theodore’s sigils, or a side effect of Theodore actually trying to kill Jude in a turf dispute. 

Masked super-villains, evidentially, were just over excitable birds with territory issues and massively inflated senses of self importance. 

The people Rubio actively avoided were the ones whose minds just screamed. Hunter and Vagrant screamed in their heads. Rift howled in the confines of his mind even as he smiled and laughed with others. 

Unfortunately, though, with the fact everyone knew he was a mind reader, it meant even if he tried to avoid them, they still showed up and bothered him. Most of them wanted to use him for their own gain. He’d accepted this as just something that would happen. But with Cale, it complicated things. 

Cale’s tears were poisonous and none of the other inmates seemed aware. The amount of times he’d caught the man contemplating poisoning someone for upsetting someone he tolerated (or Rubio, increasingly it was ‘protect Rubio’s comfort levels’ which was sweet but slightly worrying) were rather high. Rubio had opted to keep this a secret for now, though Cale knew he knew, given the fact Cale was one person he actually did like and care for, and Cale was suddenly an ace up his sleeve because of it, and only Cale knew how to mix the antidote. It was a tactic that could only be used once, though. 

Rubio rather hoped he could use Cale’s ability against the warden first. Dominic Smith terrified him. Somehow, the man wasn’t a space in anyone’s mind. Liam was rather incensed, trying to help Rubio since the warden had targeted Liam, Cale, and Rubio. For different reasons, Rubio suspected. But despite Liam’s diligence, he couldn’t pin him down. Dominic, if you went by thoughts of those around them, didn’t actually exist. 

  
  
  
  
  


The non-entity that was Dominic, though, could be marked by Rubio. He just had to remember to look for an absence in someone’s mind rather than anything else. A black hole of thought. 

He wasn’t sure what had convinced Laure to visit, but when he was told they were in the visitor area, he wondered if it was because of the letter he’d sent. He was bored and he wanted his old deck of cards. Colin, when he tolerated him, had humored him by showing images of things from his world in his mind. One of them was familiar, though according to Colin, Tarot wasn’t just a game apparently, it could be used to tell the future. He was bored enough to decide he wanted to learn.

“What’s up, Laure.”

“Okay I hope you realize how much shit I got from my friends for actually humoring you.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, liberator, you don’t have good friends. If they don’t enable you at least a little they’re shit.”

Laure was one of the few people Rubio had never actually been able to read the mind of. Laure had fallen into his little hollow in the trees below the upper branches during dinner once, and then made it their personal mission to be the fly in Rubio’s ointment. 

Rubio liked them immensely and although Laure said they were his enemy, Rubio considered Laure one of his few friends. He reached for his deck, but Laure stopped him.

“You mentioned someone named Cale in your letter?” 

Rubio smiled. “Did I?”

“Ok sit your ass down and talk to me. What exactly are you doing to this man.” Rubio’s smile dropped off his face at the borderline panicked edge in Laure’s voice. 

“I’m not doing anything to him.” He muttered. It was the opposite really, Cale was wholly doing things to Rubio that Rubio enjoyed but caused him to worry about his judgment. “He’s just a very charming pirate.”

“...What’s a pirate?”

“I’m not entirely sure but instead of forests there’s large bodies of water and there’s these things called boats instead of our shuttle systems and I very much like these ideas.”

Laure pulled their hand with the deck fully away and pointed at the tables and seats.

“I’m serious. Talk to me. And tell me what a boat is?”

“I’ll...try to explain. I didn’t know what he meant entirely when he described it.”

Fifteen minutes in Laure held up a hand. “You like him.” It was just a statement and it made Rubio grimace. “No. Rubio you don’t like people. Is it the idea of the massive water mass or is it him?”

Rubio groaned and put a hand over his eyes, trying to figure out how to explain a whole mess he’d been ignoring in regards to his own feelings to Cale.

“...I like his thoughts. They’re the picture sort and they’re honest. Twisted, everyone in here is twisted. But everything he is is an emotion mixed with the images and I suppose I like that.” He tried finally, though it didn’t really explain anything. How Cale’s thoughts usually first exploded with a small bit of happy ‘oh, hello’ sorts of feelings when he saw Rubio, followed by memory fragments, and then his emotion language. ‘Are you alright’ they’d say or ‘I’m planning something awful want to join’ or ‘Let’s survive together’ or simply ‘I’m happy right now, are you?’ or various other things pertaining to their conversation. 

“You should be careful, then, Rubio.” Laure’s voice was pitched down. “Because how many people here would think twice before using you two against each other?”

Rubio shook his head. “Not many at all. My roommate wouldn’t. Unless one of us hurt the other but...no. Laladae isn’t interested enough in either of us. Colin owes Cale a favor so….he’s conditional. The others would love to do something if they thought it was more serious.”

“...There’s a nothing presence in here. What about-mmf!” Rubio pressed his palms over Laure’s mouth. 

“That’s the warden and yes. He would. Problem is I don’t know why. Can’t read his mind and nobody remembers his face or walk or anything aside from if he’s here or not even if he just passed them by. But don’t. Don’t bring him up.” 

Laure’s eyes were wide. They pushed the hands away but Rubio shook his head. “Laure, you run a prison. You  _ know _ .”

“...Yea. I know the types. Be careful, enjoy your gambling.”

“Oh, it’s not gambling. Apparently you can use Tarot to tell the future here?”

“...with normal cards?”

“Mhm. Thought I’d try. Bored enough to.”

Laure touched his shoulder. “Be careful. I can’t speak on your behalf here. If they want to break you, they certainly will and I won’t have much say.”

  
  


Rubio took his cards and nodded, holding them tightly. “Thank you. You’re a great friend.”

“Not a friend.”   
  
“And a terrible liar to boot!”

He felt rather happy walking back. Liam in their cell just snorted. “I never really took much stock in Tarot. Never told me much.” 

“I used to use the game for gambling. You’re not supposed to but…” Liam turned his one eye to him, suddenly interested. 

“Gambling, huh? You were a card shark?

Rubio smiled down at his cards and brushed his fingers fondly over the worn face of the Fool. “When I wanted to be.”

He left the deck on his bed when they were told to go to the yard. He’d heard there was going to be a rec room in a few weeks, and given it was getting colder, he hoped they could stay in the rec room instead of being out in the yard with nothing to do but maybe basketball or walking around or talking.

Cale wasn’t there yet, and Rubio settled to walking around to wait for him. He stopped though, when he heard Laladae’s scattered thoughts. Those weren’t normal. And where was Smiles? Much as a temptation it was to want to just go over and take a bite out of an arm or the neck, and much as he’d decided to bide his time, it was more disconcerting not to see Smiles.

He went back to Liam, who was in a small insult war with Hare. “Where’s Smiles?”

“For the love of-no you can’t eat him.” Hare shot at him, annoyed.

“Not what I want.” He waved a hand at the yard. “Where’s Cale, where’s Smiles, where’s Hunter, where’s Colin, where’s Dodo. Why is Laladae rocking back and forth, why is  _ Vagrant _ not acting like himself?”

Liam and Hare looked at each other then at Rubio, their argument forgotten. “Why don’t you know?”

Rubio grit his teeth before taking a breath. He could guess why he didn’t know. “What do you think I need to do to get to the warden?”

The two older men looked at each other before Hare shrugged. “You really didn’t have to do this much to instigate a riot. Next time just straight ask.”

Good to know. And good thing it worked. 

Dominic sat behind the desk as Rubio sat facing him, cuffed, lip bleeding and grinning. “...Why did you attempt to start a riot, Rubio.”

“Where’s my pirate?”

Dominic’s eyebrows (if Rubio stopped looking at him he wouldn’t know they were pencil thin or a soft brown, wouldn’t know Dominic looked washed out and sickly, wouldn’t know his eyes were an unsettling pale pink-purple) went straight up. “Cocky and direct. Mr. Hex is-”

“Captain Hex. Captain.”

“Not in here.” Dominic’s voice was sharp, and allowed no argument. “Now, as I was saying, Mr. Hex and the others are being tested against a few new inmates. So far, nobody’s been a very good match.”

“Test me. Right now.” Rubio’s lip curled “And stop being a fucking dick about this. We’re stuck here with you. None of us know which dimension this is so how can we get home? Cale is the least of your problems. He’s not a massive threat.”

“But you are. And he’d do anything to keep me from hurting you.” Rubio felt something shrivel in his chest as Dominic continued. “I know how to keep you in line, have since I met you two. The two largest threats in here aren’t the most powerful, they’re you and Liam. People listen to you two. I haven’t found Liam’s weak point, but Cale is yours.”

A thin little smile Rubio knew he wouldn’t remember. “And as long as you take it upon yourself to keep him safe, I will use this as I see fit to keep both of you in line.”

A long silence stretched between them as Dominic allowed Rubio to consider it. Rubio sighed. He’d been tricked.

“It was a rather good trick, wasn’t it?”   
  


“...Oh that explains  _ so _ much.”

Dominic waved a hand. “In my dimension, I was an experiment gone right.”

“Your dimension has a funny way of referring to someone as ‘defective’.” Rubio spat. “You’d have been tossed into the Mids, like me, if you’d been born in my world. And here you are, playing with people’s minds in a prison where we’d be punished for fighting back against your games.”

“Careful, Rubio, or I’ll put you in with Eventide Chess whether you can withstand his powers or not.”

“So then stop fucking with my pirate!” 

The new inmates were Eventide Chess, a boogieman, and Kemri, who was human and another masked villain. If Rubio disliked the screaming of the minds of Hunter and Vagrant and Rift, he’d rather drink Cale’s tears than listen to the mind of Eventide. 

Eventually it was found nobody could currently withstand Eventide’s powers, and he was placed in a cell alone and far away from the others. Kemri was placed in a cell on his own for now, but he was allowed to talk to the others freely.

Rubio didn’t care. His priority was Cale. 

His mind had fragmented and for days after dealing with Eventide (who even Rubio could barely stand to remember being in the room with), there were just ‘not hand not again’ and ‘don’t touch me no dagger’ and ‘where’s Pan where’s Pan where’s Pan where’s Pan’ among dark muddled memories of a boy wearing green leaves and grinning wickedly holding a dagger with an edge far too sharp. When he could think better again, Rubio was there to offer what comfort he could. 

The whole prison could rot as long as Cale was alright. 


	6. Dante is a Literal Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being what is effectively a snake trapped in a human's body is hard. books and Hunter and boogiemen are fun, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of past child murder, mentions of human dissection, mentions of body horror, mentions of Divergent the book series

Dante felt rather confined in a human body. He used to have his choice of which he wanted to be, more human looking or more snake looking, but now, courtesy of the sun and moon he was just human looking. And it sucked. He really missed his lower torso and the long, beautiful tail. He was a green anaconda and he was quite proud of his markings. Now he only had the basic markings on his spine and down his calves and it really sucked. 

Dante’s love of the prison was also absolutely miniscule, given so many separate but pressing issues.

Generally, Dante preferred sticking close to Hunter while out and about, unless Hunter wanted to be alone and then Dante stayed with Theodore and Jude or Laladae. Increasingly however, he found himself wandering to Eventide’s cell, as Eventide wasn’t allowed to mingle with the others often, but was open to visitors. Dante couldn’t be around Eventide for very long ever, but he did just want to say hello now and then. Being separated from the rest of the inmates had sucked before, but at least he’d had Theodore to talk to sometimes.

  
  


Eventide had nobody.

“Being ignored again?”

Eventide asked as Dante settled into his usual spot on the floor in front of the cell. Dante grimaced, propping his head on his hand and his elbow on a knee. 

“Sorta. Everyone’s pairing up in the...Liam called it the ‘biblical’ sense...I get the gist of his meaning, but it’s annoying. Hunter’s not even going after anyone interesting that I could tease him for.”

“Who’s he interested in?”

“Vince. It’s all terribly boring. Why do you want something so boring?”   
  
“Humans are very simple, sadly.”   
  
Dante waved a careless hand, rolling his eyes. “Wouldn’t know. I’m the youngest. I was a newborn when our family was cursed to snakehood, and this is what I know. All I get in this place though is ‘don’t unhinge your jaw and eat a bowl’ or ‘spines can’t move that way’ or ‘blink Dante for the love of god before I hit you’ and it’s just boring.”

“Why does this bother you, then? Humans take to humans generally, unless they’re off. Then they take to our sort but usually die for the trouble.”

Dante scowled. “Because I think it’s stupid someone not boring is going for someone very boring.”

A soft sigh as the boogieman walked to the bars. 

“Show him he has other options, then.”

“...Like who? I can’t think of anyone.”

“You, you idiot. You just implied you’re not boring.”

Dante considered it for all of five seconds before deciding he liked the concept. “But I just follow him around, someone for him to bounce off. I’m his muscle I guess. Not someone to take seriously. He doesn’t consider me a threat, don’t really even want to be a threat to him.”

An annoyed sigh from Eventide. 

  
“So don’t be a threat. Honestly, be grateful you have that choice. I’m stuck in here, away from everyone because of my powers and my lack of care about controlling them. You’re a literal snake in a human suit. But because snakes in human suits don’t scare people just by standing too close, it’s fine. You’re allowed to walk around. Why don’t you just find out more about him.

“...Huh….”

He actually hadn’t considered getting to know Hunter. Hadn’t really thought it was an option. Yes he enjoyed him, liked him but...knowing him hadn’t actually crossed his mind.

They now had a fully functionable rec room, and there was a thing called a television, some board games, card games, and video game consoles. There had been a pool table briefly. And by briefly it had lasted one afternoon because Colin had taken a stick from it, hefted it in his hand, and slammed it so hard into Vince’s head the wood had splintered and snapped in half and Vince had to go to the hospital area. And Rubio had started throwing the balls at Riel over something or another.

So no more pooltable.

Often, Hunter could be found in the rec room, watching some show or playing chess with one of the others. As usual he was on the couch, but this time he was reading. 

“What’s the book?” Dante asked as he approached. He’d spent a few days after his talk with Eventide considering how to preoccupy Hunter, and get him to do more than just tolerate Dante’s presence. Also learn about him, and learning about his reading habits seemed like a good start. Hunter glanced over at him, eyebrows up.

“I didn’t know you could read.”   
  
“In seven languages from my reality. I am a witch. Spellbooks don’t have one language in them. What’s the book?” he stated rather patiently. Hunter just rolled his eyes and showed him the cover. 

“...Divergent. Is it any good?”   
  
“It’s utter garbage but I read it once a year.” Hunter said, bored. Dante frowned.

“If it’s utter garbage why do you read it over and over again?”

“Reminding myself that while popular trash is still trash, it’s also still popular and with a bar set as low as this, I can do anything and get popular.”   
  
“You became a serial killer and hacker named CurbSt0mP. To become popular.”

Hunter put the book down. “Okay first. No. That was later, I became a famous rock singer before that. Second why the fuck do you care about that. You can’t really throw stones for killing.”   
  
“I don’t.” Dante admitted, becoming agitated from the derailment of the conversation. “I just wanted to see how you were and asked about the book. I only know as much as you tell me.”

“Yea? Well I’m fine so fuck off.” Hunter snapped at him, and Dante just sat down in front of him. 

“Tell me about the books you do like?”

Hunter sat up and put the book down, leaning forward so he was hunched, eye to eye with Dante “Why do you care? You follow after me and don’t do much so why do you suddenly care.”

“You’re not boring.” Dante said, shrugging. Hunter’s mouth dropped open and he leaned back.    
  
Seriously?! That’s it for you?! Vagrant is a lot like me so why don’t you follow him?”

“He’s boring. So boring. ‘I want to kill a train of teenagers because I can. I can use reality altering powers for anything and I trick a bunch of teens and kill them because I can.’ That’s not interesting.”   
  
“You apparently killed two children because they crossed your path.”   
  
“They were in my way, not crossing my path. In the way of a  _ goal _ not a destination. But then when they died I figured why not just see if they were human on the inside. I’m not, were they?”

“You...dissected two kids?”

“No...I was found with their bodies before I could. So I still don’t know.”

“Dante, you’re fucked up.”

“I don’t have the insides of a human. I was curious.”

Again this wasn’t where he’d wanted the conversation to go and he was frustrated with it. Plus, Hunter was looking at him with something akin to horror and it was the last thing Dante wanted. Dante moved to fold his arms on Hunter’s lap and prop his head on his hands, effectively trapping Hunter. If he was scared then Dante could use it to make him compliant long enough. He was having a thought moment, and was going to act on it.

“I am curious about humans. Teach me.”

Hunter was tense under Dante’s arms, and shaking. “Why me? Aside from the aspect of not being boring. I’m not the only human.”

“Liam’s not a fan of non humans, Vince is not nice to anyone, Cale and Rubio are occupied with each other-however I barely count Rubio so Cale is just occupied with his friend, I don’t like the smell of Kemri. It’s off. Dodo is a dipshit. Nice enough but not like you.” He gave Hunter big doe eyes from where he was sitting, and after a moment Hunter swore, closed his eyes, and nodded.

“God damnit. Fine. I feel like you won’t get up unless I show you shit anyway so fine.” 

Hunter pushed lightly at Dante. “Now I swear to fuck get off my legs they’re going to sleep.”

Dante stared up at him for a long moment before doing as asked. Dante let Hunter get off the couch, and picked up the book. “Can I read it?”

“Yea….but it’s shit, I’m serious. There’s better books.”

“It’ll help me get some culture references for you.”

Hunter sighed. “Sure, Dante. I guess. Have fun reading.”

Dante sat down on the couch only slightly feeling bad as he opened the book. The last thing he’d wanted was Hunter afraid of him. But it didn’t seem he could help this. 

  
  


“I like Erudite” he told Eventide later. “But Candor seems to be more like me.”

“...You actually like this?”

The man in the cell held the book up distastefully. Dante shrugged.

“Even among my own family I’m not considered normal. My oldest brother Nero was scared of me, even, despite being the one in charge under mother. I suppose it’s because I have absolutely no memories of ever being fully human. I was a newborn when we were cursed, and here I am. Not totally snake minded, not totally human minded, and somehow the worst bits of both.”

“The reading material is a step in the right direction for you and Hunter, I must admit. Even if he considers this trash and you don’t.”

“Not gonna lie about my opinion.”

“I’d slap you if you wanted to lie.” Eventide carefully pushed the book through the bars to Dante to avoid skin touching. It made the hallucinations happen. “It’s perfectly healthy for friends and companions to have different opinions.”

Dante sighed, frustrated. “I know that. But I don’t  _ have _ companions or friends or anything. Do you know what those kids got in my way for? A way to become completely snake. No human mind or feelings or-” 

“Dante, we all have things we wish were different about ourselves or our situations. You need to learn to embrace both halves of who you are. They are you. Asking him to help you be human was a good move. Maybe you’ll learn to like your more human side.”

“Do you? Like your human side?”

“It’s why I’m letting myself stay in here, and not out with you. Although I was quite a threat, my powers and mentality are my nature, not my outlook. I deserve and crave to be kept away from the ones who would get hurt from me.”

“You’re rather odd. You attacked each of us when Dominic put us with you.”

“Hunger does strange things, doesn’t it?”

Something to think about.

He went to Hunter that evening at dinner and carefully set the book beside him. 

“I think the book is fun even if it’s kind of boring in places and Four is a wooden block. I like the story and the characters. I think I’m Candor if I had to pick a faction. Divergent as a concept for a personality is flawed but interesting. I really enjoyed the book. Do you have the rest of the series, or other recommendations?”

Hunter carefully set his fork down and looked up at Dante. “Seriously? You liked it?” A small hesitation before he patted the bench next to him. “Do you wanna go into more detail about why?”

Dante sat next to him and opened the book. “See, I like where they choose their factions here. I like that test…”

They talked through the entirety of Hunter’s dinner. Dante’s meals tended to follow the traditional diets for a python, so he wasn’t hungry that day. Being taken seriously by Hunter though, was nice. 

“Do you want to start a book club?” Hunter asked a few days later, and Dante smiled.    
  


“Yes. Yes I do.”

Was this what having a human friend was like?

The moment was ruined though, when Dante caught the scent of something interesting just past Hunter and Hunter leaped back with a small scream.

“Christ eating a banana! Dante that’s not how spines work!”

“It’s how my spine works now shush, I’m smelling something.”


	7. Dominic is Annoyed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the warden is annoyed by the inmates, Rift gives advice, Dominic only sort of takes it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> isolation cell, setting someone into a wall, torture, mentions of murder and threats of decapitation

Rubio annoyed the hell out of Dominic. So did Liam. The urge to separate the two with two other inmates was strong, but now there were more issues to contend with. Namely Hunter. 

“I thought he had an extreme fear of his powers?” Dominic asked Bill quietly as they stood in front of a wall covered so thickly in vines and flowers it was hard to believe it hadn’t been there that morning. Or even that it hadn’t just been growing normally for the last twenty years. Tangled in among the flowers was an unconscious Vince. If death hadn’t been impossible in the prison, they’d have had to take Vince out in a bodybag. 

Bill sighed. “We’re not entirely sure what happened. But Vince has been antagonizing Hunter for a while, this must have been the result of Hunter finally having enough.”   
  
“Where were his lackeys?”

“Whose, Vince’s or Hunters?”

“Either. All of them. What happened that you know for sure.”

“Colin was meeting with his wife. Scheduled birthday visit, he’s been looking forward to Isabelle coming for months and has been rather open about it. Colin might not be able to talk but he knows when and how to fight to do the most damage so his absence may have been seen as an opportunity.” Dominic nodded slowly, it made sense. “Dante,” Bill continued, “was talking to Eventide. For some reason they get along relatively alright. We’ve been allowing the small visits since a calm boogieman is better than an irritated one and if Dante’s the one who can keep him calm nobody’s going to question it.”

It was a good practice. Bill swung his arms and continued

“Mr. Smiles-”

Dominic held up a hand. “Smiles is involved?”

“He was in a fight with Vagrant, who is generally Hunter’s main back up. We’re not sure why, but apparently there was shouts heard about pudding.”

“...Pudding.”

“Yes sir, pudding.”

“I’m breaking my ass trying to convince the other dimensions to let them stay here instead of facing death sentences or worse and here they all are, fighting over pudding and-”

He quickly put a hand into the vines. “Putting each other into walls and growing vines around it. Where’s Hunter?”

“Solitary.”

“Well get him back here to undo what he did to Vince. For goodness sake he can’t simply stay in the wall.”

“And then?”

“Solitary does seem a good place for him. Let him cool off, and if he’s getting back to his powers, let him test it without testing it on the others.”   
  
“Yes sir.”

Dominic adjusted his suit, turned on his heel, and began walking. He hated the entire prison. But better here where he could slowly destroy their resolve than anywhere else. They would never learn their lessons if they were left to the fates originally planned. And while he hadn’t been the one to first suggest this idea, he would perfect it. 

“I don’t see why you don’t actually do something with your hair. It’s limp as rotten lettuce. You’re the face of this prison and you don’t even try to look good.”   
  
“...Well,” He stated, pausing and looking over to Rift (who wasn’t even looking at him) “It is rather a moot point, isn’t it, when nobody remembers what I look like. Even pictures. Nobody gets to see my limp black hair.”

“Black. Heh. Do you know what you look like? You’ve got amazing sandy brown hair. Pretty purple-pink eyes. Always biting your lips. Nervous tick or do you just not care.”

He still wasn’t looking at Dominic. His eyes were closed, face tilted up, and fingers tapping the wall behind him. “How do you know what I look like? People don’t. They don’t know me. You shouldn’t either.”

Rift opened one eye in an exaggerated squint and scrunched his nose and mouth. “Mmm..different realities, Mr. Warden boy. I’ve killed hundreds. More’n they think. All for pretty purple-pink eyes. You ain’t th one I’m hunting down, but you’ve got his face. So I know you. Saw you the first time, went ‘oi, that boy looks like my boy but ain’t’ and there you go. I know you.”

Despite himself, Dominic felt a bit disappointed. Even Rift’s thoughts confirmed this as the truth. And the man in his memories did look like Dominic, but his face was rounder while Dominic’s was sharper. That one-Neige-was smaller with wider set eyes. Otherwise, Rift was right.

“He’s not me.”   
  
“I know. You ain’t got the voice. Or I’da killed ya.”

“You love him.” Dominic said, looking through memories he was realizing Rift was letting him see.    
  


“Still don’t agree with him. Still think it’s better t’ kill him off. Better t’ hunt him down than let him do what he planned.”

“And what’s that?”

Abruptly the memories of Neige was blocked off and replaced with thoughts about how stupid Vagrant was. “Never you mind pretty chick. If you live in this reality, he don’t. So don’t worry. But just know, just about everyone here wants you locked up in a cell with them. You’d better fix this right quick or your status ain’t gonna save you.”

“And how do you propose I do that?”   
  
“Make good with Rubio. You did hurt his pretty pirate. Make good with Liam. You hurt his pride. Take a little pity with Hunter.”

  
  
  


“You all deserve to break, to suffer. Where’s the justice for everything any of you has done?” He asked, more heatedly than he’d meant to. Rift just smiled.

“Darlin, you keep trying to put the frog in a boiling pot and it’ll keep jumping out more an more angry. Put the frog in the pot and turn the heat on slowly and by the time anyone realizes you’ve prepared your final blow, nobody will be ready to resist it.”

“I’m not taking advice from someone like you.” Dominic said calmly, despite the anger and unease beating through him.

“You don’t have a choice. Because as th others have pointed out, there’s things worse than death and I know half of em want to inflict all of what that could imply on you.”

“I’ll keep this in mind.”

“Free piece of advice; Liam won’t turn on Rubio or Cale, but you befriend him enough, he’d happily act as a personal friend. Get your little boogieman to a place with his powers he can walk around an more than just the snake can talk to him without screaming, and he’ll stay loyal. But dump Kemri. I’m warning you now.”

“...Noted.”

“Act on the note. Trust me.”

“Why are you-”

“Let’s just say” Rift said as he pushed himself off the wall and began walking away “I’d rather not see your head on a pike if I don’t do it myself. And I’ve got no interest in you specifically. So I just don’t want to see you at anyone else’s mercy. Call it a weird obsession with your face.”

That was not comforting. 

Dominic continued walking, deciding he was going to take at least a little of the advice. First though, he needed to find Rubio. 

He found Rubio with Dante, which was...surprising. They generally didn’t get along. Dante had the heels of his hands pressed against his eyes as Rubio patted an arm awkwardly before looking over at Dominic, going immediately tense. Dominic raised his hands. “I’m not interested in punishment. I’m trying to get a sense of what happened and why, and go from there.” 

  
  


“You haven’t talked to Hunter or Vince?” Dante asked shakily, seeming to be near a break down.

“Vince is in a coma and currently in a wall, Hunter is in solitary and I’ll talk to him in a little while.” Dominic tried to soften his tone, as despite his personal distaste for them they were important in this endeavor as of right now. "I know you try to stay close to Hunter, Dante. Can you tell me anything? I know you were with Eventide but-"

Dante wrapped his arms around himself, one foot rubbing the other ankle as he sighed. His mind was, as usual, a mess of smells, emotions, instincts and 'human facts' but there was a clear thread that was rather disconcerting. Dominic waited for Dante to speak to see if he'd follow the thread on his own or if Dominic needed to actively pry the cursed man's thoughts out of him.

"I misunderstood Vince and Hunter. Somehow Vince has access to something Hunter likes. But it went too far I think-I-well." He took a deep breath. "I complained about my tail around him. I don't like my feet. I don't. I don't like legs."

"And Hunter, what, began practicing reality altering to try and give you some approximation of this again?"

"I don't know! Maybe? But I feel like Hunter’s been...off. I don’t...I don’t know.”

Dominic looked at Rubio for clarification. “Withdrawal. It sounds like withdrawal.”   
  
Dominic sighed. “Oh goodie. Dante, go to your cell. If I need you, I’ll come get you. Rubio, with me.”   
  
“Oh, what an honor, the warden needs me.” Rubio quipped dryly, and Dominic gave him a warning look. 

“Don’t push your luck Rubio. You’re in my prison, not the other way around.”

“Sure, Warden. I know.” Said Rubio, with a tone that clearly questioned everything out of Dominic’s mouth.

Dominic prodded a little further in Rubio’s mind. Although the man wasn’t useless when it came to mind reading, he was largely self taught and wasn’t fully equipped to keep someone out of his head. Shockingly, he seemed perfectly content with letting people read him. Dominic briefly wondered if this was from Laure’s influence. They could read Rubio’s mind and didn’t allow Rubio to do the same. Also, Rubio considered Laure a friend. 

In his mind, Rubio was worried about Dante and his guilt. He was also worried over Dodo. The man had seemed rather shifty, and for some reason had been around Hare.

  
  
  


“Rubio I need you to come with me. Leave Dante.”   
  


“Dante shouldn’t be alone.”

“Don’t tell me you like people now.”   
  
“No. But these are my people. Dante’s one of mine.”

Dominic hesitated before beckoning them both to follow. “I need your help fact checking with Hunter.”

“Yes I know, but why?”

“Your specific ability goes about looking unnoticed into people’s minds and their emotions. Mine tends to overload anyone.”

“Yes” was the dry comment from Dante. “We’re all well aware and familiar to what ‘overloading’ means.” He made them faint with reliving whatever emotionally charged memory he pulled up. Dominic smiled tight and thin at him before leading them down a side corridor otherwise blocked off. Soundproof and magic proof cells stretched down either side. 

Dante’s mind went blank with blind panic, and Rubio’s held several surface memories of a testing facility he’d been in before going back to the forest he was allegedly born in and where Laure had found him. 

“If both of you behave you won’t end up here.” He said, calmly, as he unlocked the door to Hunter’s cell. He grabbed Dante by the back of the shirt to keep him from rushing in to comfort the man pressed into the far corner, curled in on himself. 

“Not now, Dante. Later. No distractions while I talk to him.” Dominic admonished calmly, as Hunter looked up at them, eyes wide. 

“Nice to have your attention, Hunter.” Dominic said with a faint smile. “Rubio, do you mind?” Rubio sighed. 

“What do you want me to do?”

“Help me see if there’s a lie.”

“Lies aren’t an emotion!” 

“But you know what he feels when he does lie.”

Dominic turned ha attention back to Hunter. “You’ve been getting drugs from Vince.”

“Yes.” Hunter said as he folded up again. “I took him out of the wall, though. Like Bill told me to.”

“Why did you put him in the wall?”

“...Decided to stop.”

Dominic looked at Rubio. “The full explanation, if you please.” 

“Vince wanted Hunter. And Hunter said no. So Vince told him he was being cut off.” Hunter flinched back against the wall again. Dominic sighed, silent and through his nose. 

“I’ll inform the guards to watch Vince more closely.” Whether or not they did was up to them. “Hunter you’re lucky nobody can die in here. Killing Vince-”

“Would be too kind to him” came the literal hiss from Dante. 

Dominic grit his teeth. “Dante I can and will put you in a cell down the hall alone.” 

More panic and a mental shut down in the mind of the snake man. “Hunter, you’re in here for as long as you need to dry out. Play with your powers but you won’t be able to get out. And do try not to kill anyone who brings you food. I won’t replace them while they’re in the hospital wing, do you understand?” 

He did let Dante go to him for a few moments. It calmed them both down, enough Dante was once more under control. It kept them from violence, and the last thing Dominic wanted was being bit by Dante when they were walking back to the main areas. 

Finally though, Dominic went to take the arm of Dante. “Come on, time to go.” 

Hunter curled on himself again when they walked away and the door shut on him. 

Dominic wondered idly if the knowledge of the isolation cells would keep the fights from breaking out quite so often. 


	8. Liam's Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He develops a more romantic platonic love for Colin, much to his panic, and tries to leave

Liam had found, quite by accident, he liked the fifty-eight year old Ashlad. Six year age difference, and Colin was classy as hell. Perhaps because of the environment he’d spent so much of his life in. Also not as straight as he’d claimed in the beginning. Colin’s realization had been commented on by Rubio innocently enough, but Colin’s immediate reaction was to try to smash his head open with a chair, so they’d all backed off and let him come to terms with it on his own. 

Besides, Colin being married (and divorced, and remarried to the same woman about three or four times so Liam wasn’t particularly sure how strong or stable their feelings actually were towards each other) to someone was a bit of an offset to Liam, and he had calmly enforced this with Cale’s probably too eager help on the ones who wouldn’t respect Colin’s space or autonomy. Liam’d tried to keep the advantage taking down, even if he was the only one enforcing it. It wasn’t that he cared but no he really didn’t want to deal with it. Because if the weaklings got used in the prison eventually he’d be a target, and he’d rather not deal with it. 

“Are you alright” Liam asked Colin at one point, and Colin signed back, slowly but cohesive.

“I am getting there”

Liam had given him the thumbs up and Colin signed “Thank you”

“..Yea well protecting you is just a form of self defense.” Liam had returned with a roll of his eye. “I have limited sight and depth perception. We’re around the same age. If they go after you they’ll go after me. I’m not really interested in fighting anyone off in here; you, me, Cale, Hunter, arguably Rubio, we’re the only actual humans in this shit place. Protecting you is protecting me.”

“Fair enough” came the return sign. “Tell me if you need help”

“Will do” Liam said calmly. “Later, Colin.”

Colin, he’d noticed, then remained on his sighted side as much as possible if they had to deal with each other. A silent gesture that went appreciated. 

It was when he caught the hand of Laladae trying to grab at Colin’s food in the cafeteria that Liam realized he’d gone a little past mutual protection. 

To say it hit him like a truck of bricks was an understatement. He didn’t like people. Hadn’t for _years._ Lust. But… Dammit he was lonely, and not just for the carnal side. But what a way to realize he wanted a romance not an affair.

A prison wasn’t really a good place to cultivate that sort of thing. So he began applying for a hearing to get the hell out of this prison. Maybe he could go to that Fae torture chamber Talon had liked taunting him with. 

Anything but somewhere with Colin. 

Word got around, because of course it did. It was impossible to keep secrets with mindreaders in the building and fairly soon people were asking him about when the hearing was. Colin though, kept his distance.

Rubio, in his usual amused way, knew more about things than anyone else, and in his usual gracelessness, prodded things along.

“Colin’s mad.”

  
  
He stated as a way of greeting when Liam came back to their cell after a preliminary. Liam waited till he was on his own cot before answering.  


“Yea? Why. Cuz I won’t be here and he’ll have to get his hands dirty protecting himself?”

“No. Because you’re, and I quote from his mind ‘a fucking coward of an assassin with a white knight complex who can’t handle responsibility’ end quote” Rubio looked over at him, as though this were important.

“Coulda told him that if he’d asked.” Liam said bluntly back. “I ran from my family and maybe I shouldn’t have. I am definitely a jackass who gets off being a fake ass protector, and no. I can’t handle being held accountable. I never could.”

He got hit in the face with a pillow.

“Rubio I don’t know what kind of fucked up your reality is, but in mine, you don’t meet soulmates in prisons. In prison here things are ugly and brutal and they’ll get that way if you and Cale and Colin don’t protect yourselves. Hunter’s got Dante. They’re fine. But I want out.” He picked up the pillow. "And I'm keeping this you ass."

  
  
Rubio ignored his comment and only addressed Liam's inner turmoil. “Because you want something softer with someone you don’t think can give you that and it scares you.”

  
  
“Get the fuck out of my head squirt. I don’t need a therapy session from you. Especially you. Anyone but you.”

“I’ll send Cale to talk to you tomorrow.”

  
  
“Don’t you fuckin dare!” Liam was up and looking at him, fully so he could actually see him with his one eye. And damn him, Rubio looked smugly pragmatic. 

“Keep snarling wolf pup. I know it’s empty threats. And I also know that Colin has taken to sitting outside in the courtyard despite the white stuff on the ground during the time we’re allowed to wander.” 

“That’s snow Rubio.” Liam rubbed his forehead before slamming his palm on the cot. “And why-he doesn’t have a coat!”

  
  
“You should go check on him tomorrow.” Said an entirely too smug mindreader.

“Oh go-”   
  
“Trust me, I do.”   
  
“I hate you.”   
  
“No you're actually fond of me, but it’s fine. I’ll give you a reason to hate me if you don’t talk to Colin about why you’re leaving. Or at least why you want to.”

*

Liam did, as promised, go seek out Colin. If only because Rubio giving a threatening smile from where he was playing Tarot in the rec room was unsettling and he didn’t like it.

Colin was where Rubio’d said he would be, even. 

“Colin. It’s snowin an you ain’t got a coat.” He said as he moved to the man in the middle of the courtyard. Colin didn’t seem to hear him. Liam tried again, a little louder. “Colin come inside yer gonna catch frostbite.” 

Nothing. 

Liam moved to face him, and found his eyes were closed and breathing shallow. There was worry, suddenly, fleeting, before he took Colin by the shoulders. “ _Colin!_ Talk t’me love!”

It slipped out and Colin’s eyes snapped open. 

Liam let go of him. “That got yer attention.” He said smugly, internally shaken but he was damned if he’d show it. He didn’t make accidents like that normally. He tried not to. But Colin seemingly content with freezing to death hit something in him and he had lost some rationality.

A slap came from his blindside and Liam rocked with it, letting it happen. “I deserve that” he admitted. “An yea, I don’t wanna deal with feelings in here. I really don’t. I’d rather anything else.”

The flat of a palm pushed his chest and he finally registered Colin, choking on his curse and still hitting him. Liam grabbed him again, sighing. 

“Yes, you idiot. I guess I love you-or close as to it. I was just respectin yer fuckin boundaries. I don’t fuck with married people, an I really don’t wanna fuck with someone still figuring a massive revelation out, an I personally don’t want my heart broken-again-because this is just like her.”

The last bit fell out, again, and Liam let go of Colin. “An that’s why I wanna leave.” 

Colin wrapped his arms around himself, head bowed for a long moment. Liam resisted the urge to tuck him into his side. 

There were a lot of things he wanted, to do with Colin and to him, and he was hardly a good man, but well…

Liam had lines in the sand, and he refused to cross them. And unfortunately, Colin was on the other side of all of them.

“Wait though-did you get upset because you....also-?”

“Yes” was signed. And “Respect.” and “Don’t go.”

Liam sighed. “I doubt they’re going to vote yes on the transfer. So yes, I’ll most likely stay. We’ll see on the respect because shit happens and you and I both know it. Especially here.” he felt his gaze soften slightly. “Glad to know I’m not being a complete fool then. But for _fuck’s_ sake, stop doing dangerous shit like this.”

Colin blinked slowly, and Liam huffed. It was fucking cold.

He pointed at the door. “In, now. And maybe if you don’t get sick I’ll ignore the fact you slapped me on my blindside. I’m pretty easy going around you but I’ve got limits.”

Colin booked it, and Liam followed.


	9. Let Me Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laladae is forced to face a couple truths over the nature of what he did, and who put him there. He also has to come to terms with the fact that, as he refuses to use his powers, people do want to take advantage of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> being jumped and beaten, though it's interrupted, mentions of abuse, allusions to an abusive household (between "drink Laladae" and "Colwyn"), mentions of murder and insanity. depression.

Laladae pressed the heels of his hands over his ears. “Why is Vagrant screaming again?”

It’d been going for three days nonstop. Dante pointed at the general direction of the isolation cells. He hadn’t spoken since coming back from them, and Vagrant had started screaming again a few days in. Rubio was back in the infirmary, alongside Vince who was well and truly in a coma healing from the massive physical damage. 

Everyone looked exhausted, and was probably more tired than they let on. 

If Laladae wasn’t also affected, he probably would have gone after one of the humans, perhaps the pirate, and cut them open till they broke mentally. Twisted their bones into other shapes. But as it stood he could barely see straight himself.

Somehow, this was worse than the first time. Dante dropped his head into his hands and walked away, and Laladae laced his fingers over the back of his head as he slid against the wall and pressed his forehead into his knees. 

Vagrant’s screams tended to pull him into memories he’d struggled getting past. A fae king hacked to pieces by humans for a harvest ritual, and his children watching. The king’s knights and lover trying to help-

Hare sat beside him. “We’re of the same kind, and haven’t spoken.”

“Not quite same kind, you’re from the hills and I’m from the forests, not to mention two entirely different realities…”

Hare’s fingers brushed an ear, and Laladae was too tired to even flinch from the unwelcome touch, though his ear twitched as the fingers withdrew from inspecting the deer-like ear. 

“True. But close enough.”

“What do you want. Because if you think I want to talk to you-”

“Nothing. I want nothing. Heard some things.”

“...I don’t care…”

Hare continued on, unfazed. “Dominic finally found a counselor, and a proper doctor, and some new guards, and even somehow a librarian willing to work in this place. Plus, winter clothes. I happen to like the thought of not freezing to death.”

“Okay...?” Laladae was waiting for the payment demand now that the information had been given. Or being informed he owed Hare now. 

“Would you like to know who’s here?”

“...no.”

It did take a lot to say this, admittedly. But owing Hare was the last thing he wanted to do.

He got up, swaying. “I’ll find out who took these jobs eventually, won’t I? They will work with us.”

“Apparently they’ll come around the new year. So. Sure you don’t want to know now?”

“I’m sure.”

He paused. “Why did you give up on Colin and Liam as your pawns?”

Hare shrugged. “Who says I did? I just think you’d make a good ally. We are like.”

“We’re really not, trust me on that. That is your only warning, and freely given.”

His feet led him to Vagrant’s cell, where he was alone and currently not allowed out. 

“Shut up!” He slammed his hand on the bar, trying to get the attention of the other, in the corner and face turned to it, screaming and screaming. It stung, and gave him clarity. “Just shut up! Nobody wants to fucking hear you, but nobody can fucking escape it. Stop. Screaming!”

It didn’t stop. The noise just droned on, and it may have been Vagrant hadn’t even heard him. 

“I wouldn’t try to stop him.” Smiles. That was..unexpected. “I tried, and was sent through the opposite wall, so.”

“Thought you found it funny.”

“Darling there’s such a thing as a joke outstaying its welcome.”

Laladae nodded, sighing. “S’ppose it makes sense.” He wasn’t in the mood to protest the nickname. “Why d’you think he’s screaming this time round?” and why was it worse. 

“Not sure. Since our fight. He had a talk with some of the guards and he…” Smiles shrugged.

“Hasn’t stopped since.”

“Seriously?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Remind me not to get stuck alone with those fuckers, then.”

“Whether or not I do is highly dependent on the situation.”

Laladae shot Smiles a look, and Smiles only grinned innocently (for him) back.

Laladae hadn’t swore much before the prison. There wasn’t really a cause to use language so vulgar and base. But here, well, there were quite a lot of situations and reactions that could only be accurately described with a swear word.

“I want a bit of peace.” Laladae muttered, the exhaustion and unease building into a sudden moment of dizziness. “Can’t take this much longer.”

“Not sure anyone wants to, but we’ve all got to take it.”

“Heard there’s more people coming here. Therapist. Proper doctor. Librarian.” 

“Interesting.” 

Smiles snapped overly long fingers. “Would you like some help? For rest? As a thank you for the information.”

“...Nah. I’m fine. Maybe later.”

“No, no, that’s not as funny.”

“Don’t you dare! I don’t want to deal with whatever you have planned.”

The screaming had stopped he realized, and Laladae suddenly realized Vagrant and Smiles were crowding him, and he felt, perhaps, he’d been there too long. 

“I’m going to-I’m checking on Dante again.” He muttered. 

“Oh, that’s not very fun of you. Not very fun at all.” came a voice behind him, and Laladae turned slowly, seeing Kemri. The guy was tiny, fragile looking almost, but deep voiced and the few times Laladae had heard him talk he’d rivaled any of them in dark fantasies.

Laladae realized he may have been tricked. 

“...What do you three want.”

Kemri giggled and Laladae took a step back as the tiny man advanced, growing bigger as he did. Not so much small or fragile looking anymore. 

“You’re just a tool, no worries.”

“All of you can fuck right off!” He snarled. “I’m not a tool for anyone!” Not anymore. He’d purposefully chosen the life of a solitary fae, purposefully molded himself as one of the menaces, the nightmares, solely to avoid anyone trying to control him.

It was backfiring spectacularly. 

“Yo, what’s going on here?” Came a voice as Laladae was pinned to the wall by Kemri via his head smashed against the concrete and a clawed hand piercing his scalp and cheek.

It was Pet. No. Wayland. Wayland Destin Ulysses Sparks. He’d earned back those names. Laladae might as well respect that. Wayland dressed as a guard. Shit. 

“Let him go. Come on. Jumping a man when he’s not prepared for a fight is extremely bad manners. And I’ve got just enough spite and magic to enact the Laws of Decorum, am I clear?”

Laladae, the few times he’d talked to Hare about it, had found his Laws of Decorum were similar to Hare’s Rules of Hospitality. Both of them had found ways around their own rules, but this was the first time someone was using the Laws as a threat that wasn’t focused on Laladae. Hell, Wayland had used the Laws against him when Wayland had snatched his names back. 

Odd turn of events.

“I mean it-let him go.”

The pressure against his head left abruptly, and Vagrant began wailing again as the other two stalked off together. 

Laladae was working his jaw and gingerly pressing fingertips to the left side of his face and his nose, fairly sure the nose was broken. Wayland took his free arm, and Laladae didn’t have the mental strength to shake him off. 

“Before you ask, I was asked specifically to be a guard by Dominic. Since fae deals and disputes is something I’m familiar with.” A small vial was held out. “Drink it in a second, I need to straighten your nose.” Laladae made a small face at the glowing blue potion. Still, there was blood dripping down his chin, and he was on laundry duty that week. With Liam, but still. He accepted the potion quietly as Wayland reset his nose. It burned and his nose continued to drip blood. 

“Drink, Laladae.”

He did, pulling the cork out with his teeth and swallowing the contents in one gulp. The popping of his nose and jaw healing forced a low, pained hiss out from between his teeth. He glanced tiredly at Vagrant, before looking at Wayland. 

“I want a different cell till Vince can come back.” He muttered. “Cuz I don’t wanna get jumped again.” 

“I’m going to try to make that happen.”

“I know. You’ve always been far too good for who you are.”

Laladae looked at Wayland, and saw an echo of someone he’d lost. His whole life had been tainted by ghosts in living forms with no understanding their very appearance caused harm.

In Wayland’s case, Laladae’s sister. And now, Laladae had a feeling Wayland knew and somewhat understood.

“You know in the nineteen years I wasn’t home, he never once really noticed. Your actions meant nothing.”

It shouldn’t have hit him so hard, on some level he knew, but still...still.

“Let’s talk somewhere else” Was all he could say. Willing his anger and grief to wait. 

Wayland led him down the halls and toward Dominic’s office. 

“She’s alive, by the way. My mother. She was hiding, waiting for you to lower the barriers. I...well Lucy and I stay close to her, okay? And Lucy’s kids.” 

“So everything was for nothing.”

“...Well...human great-granddad did instigate killing your dad and his lover so….not...not entirely?”

“Thank you.”

“Colwyn” Wayland said very softly, and Laladae shuddered at the use of his given name. “Colwyn you need to be careful. Please? I might be utterly pissed at you but”

“It’s too late to say you don’t want me hurt, Pet” Laladae said lightly, tossing the cruel name in Wayland’s face as a warning to drop the actual name. “You wanted me in here.”

“No” said Wayland, and Laladae’s heart froze.

“Mom pushed for your sentence, not me.”

Three days later, Liam tried to broach the subject as Laladae sat listlessly on the cot across from him. 

“Do you wanna fight back?”

“Against whom?” he felt tired and hollow inside. “My sister or the other inmates?”

“...Yea I got nothin with sisters. Mine’s a bitch. No, th’ others. Th ones that got you put here for now.”

Laladae shrugged. “I’m fine for now Liam. I have a feeling they won’t try too much after a while.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t. But he did things alone. Now more than ever. 

The main thing was figuring out why the four were targeting him, and making it stop.

He couldn't afford not to.

**Author's Note:**

> https://lordkingsmith.tumblr.com/post/626316295063896064/prison-au-male-prison-cast-will-be-updated-as?is_related_post=1
> 
> the cast and ranking of power of each current member of this story. will be updated and changed as cast is added.


End file.
